The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-06-11
Our 0lio.
THE CITY OF LONDON.

81. Paul's - Westminster Abbey - Th
Horse Guards-The TOwer-The Banl
Parliament Houses Palaces ant
Parks-Streets and Docks, 1c., tke.
Frank R. Stockton in ST. Nicholas for June
In the visit which we are about to max
to the largest and richest civilized city il
the world, will mention at the outset tina
if any one were to undertake to walk ON
way only through all the streets of London
he would be obliged to go distance of TIVE
thousand six hundred miles, or as far as i
is across the American continent from New
York to San Francisco. This will give al
idea of what would have to be done il
order to see even the greater part o.
London.
In our approach to this city, as well a.
in our rambles through its streets, W.
shall not be struck so much by its splendid
and imposing appearance as by its immen
sity. Go where we may, there seems tc
be no end to the town. 1t is fourteen
miles one way, and eight miles the other
and contains a population of nearly foul
million people, which is greater, indeed
than that of Switzerland or the Kingdoms
of Denmark and Greece combined We
are told on good authority that there are
more Scotchmen in London than in Edin,
burg, more Irishmen than 10 Dublin, and
more Jews than in Palestine, with foreign
ers from all parts of the world, including a
great number of Americans. Yet there
are so many Englishmen in London, that
one is not likely to notice the presence Of
these people of other nations.
This vast body of citizens, some so rich
that they never can count their money, and
some so poor that they never have any to
count, eat every year four hundred thous-
and oxen, one and half million sheep,
eight million chickens and game birds, not
to speak of calves, hogs, and different
kinds of fish. They consume five hundred
million oysters, which, although it seems
like large number, would only give, if
equally divided among all the people, one
oyster every third day to each person.
There are three hundred thousand SER
wants in London, enough people to make q
large city; but as this gives only one SER
want to each dozen citizens, it is quite evi-
dent that great many of the people must
wait on themselves. Things are very un-
equally divided in London; and 1 have no
doubt that instead of there being one SER
want to twelve persons, some of the rich
lords and ladies have twelve servants
apiece.
There are many other things of this
kind which l might tell you, and which
would help to give you an idea of the
vastness and wealth of this great center Of
the worlds commerce, into whose port
twenty thousand vessels enter annually;
while land is SO valuable that a single acre
of it has been sold for four and half mil
lion dollars. But we must now proceed to
see London for ourselves; and we shall
begin at the great church of St. Paul's,
which is in one of the most busy and
crowded portions of the city.
must say here that particular por-
ton of London is known as s'the City" 7"
Although it is comparatively but a small
part of the metropolis, it is the center of
business, and contains the great mercantile
houses, the Bank of England, the Ex-
change, the General Post-0 Office, the courts
of justice, the great newspaper offices, and
the famous London Docks. ",The City"
is presided over by the Lord Mayor, that
parsonage of whom you have read SO
much, and who has nothing at all to do
with the rest of London.
In the midst of this busy, noisy, and
crowded section stands St. Pauls, with its
dome high above everything. When it
was new and its marble was white, this
church must have been very handsome,
viewed from the outside; but now it is a
dingy gray, and in some places quite black,
on account of the coal-smoke which is
continually settling down upon London,
making it the grimiest, dingiest city in the
world. It is everywhere the same. The
splendid white marble buildings are now
gray and black; the bricks of which most
of the houses are built are generally the
color of an old ham; and if you see bright
or fresh-looking house in London, you may
be sure that it has very recently been
painted or built. If you want to know the
reason of this, we will go up to the top of
the dome of St. Paul's, from which we
can look down upon a great part of
London.
As we gaze upon the vast city stretch
ing out far on every side, one of the first
things which will attract our attention will
be the amazing number of chimney-pots
which stand up from the roof of every
bu;ld,n.r laroo orJ s,,,on Tho.s .ao,,, .,
be millions of them, some earthenware and
some iron, some of one shape and some of
another, some twisted, and some straight;
but three or four, and often more, on every
chimney. From all these chimney pots,
during cold or cool weather, and from
great many of them during the whole of
the year, rise up little crrls or big curls of
the dark heavy smoke which comes from
the soft coal generally burned in London.
This smoke, which is often filled with lit
tie specks of SCOT, rises short distance
into the air and then generally settles down
to blacken and begrime the city.
At certain seasons, when the air is heavy
with moisture, this smoke helps to from
fog quite different from those to which
people in other cities are accustomed. 1t
is so thick and dark that the day seems
like night. People can not find their way
in the streets; vehicles must stand still or
run into one another; the street lamps shed
a sickly light for only yard or two
around; windows are closed and houses are